Sophie’s POV The penthouse, after the vibrant chaos of Lilian’s brownstone, felt like a vacuum chamber. The lingering scents of beef bourguignon, turpentine, and the warm, milky sweetness unique to baby “Mateo” had dissipated, replaced by the sterile, chilled air smelling faintly of lemon polish and Damien’s sandalwood cologne. The silence wasn’t peaceful; it was a physical weight, pressing down, amplifying the echoes of Lilian’s joyful announcement, Mateo’s soft, snuffling breaths against my neck, and the seismic shift in Damien’s eyes as he watched me cradle his nephew.He’d been… different. Since returning. Not distant, exactly, but profoundly still. He’d moved through the penthouse with a new kind of quiet intensity, his gaze often distant, lost in thought. He’d poured us both a nightcap, a smoky single malt but hadn’t touched his. He’d stood by the window, staring at the glittering cityscape, the glass reflecting not the powerful CEO, but a man grappling with something immens
Last Updated : 2025-07-23 Read more